Without LeBron James and Anthony Davis out versus the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, it looked from the beginning like it would be an ugly game for the Los Angeles Lakers.
They fell behind 11-0. Though they fought back with the help of a zone defense that slowed the Raptors a bit, Toronto went on a 24-3 run in the second quarter.
Once L.A. fell behind 70-47 at halftime, it was over, even though it drew within 11 points late in the third quarter. The final score of 126-113 didn’t indicate how lopsided the game was.
The Lakers’ lack of viable depth at the forward positions was evident. They went with many four-guard lineups. Troy Brown Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson were forced to play almost exclusively at the 4, even though both are nominally small forwards.
Toronto took full advantage with 58 points in the paint, 17 offensive rebounds and 28 fast-break points.